mussels with pasta

mussels with pasta

I’ve learned a lot about seafood recently, shellfish in particular starting with soft shell crab and steamer clams.  Flush with confidence I decided to take on mussels.  

According to sources online, mussels must first be rinsed and scrubbed to get rid f any debris under the faucet.  If necessary, pull off the beard that the mussels use to attach themselves to surfaces.  Only some of my mussels had the ‘beard’.  Apparently, farmed mussels have already been de bearded.  Lastly, tightly closed mussels are fresh.  Tap any opened mussels on the counter.  If the mussels doesn’t close within a few minutes, it is dead and should be discarded.  

After cleaning and if not cooking immediately, mussels should be stored over ice in the fridge with wet towel over them to prevent drying out.  They could die (yikes!) if soaked in tap water or sit in melted ice.  So it’s best to put ice in a ziploc bag on the bottom of the bowl and put the mussels on top of the ziploc bag. 

For recipe, I opted for a classic white wine recipe with all staple ingredients.  I decided on 2 pounds of mussels since I was making mussels & pasta.  

To serve I had some garlic bread from FreshDirect for mopping up all the delicious briny broth. I’m so glad to have learned all about mussels as it is incredibly easy, quick and inexpensive.  It definitely won’t be something i eat in restaurants only from now on.  I hope you try it too!

ingredients

• 1 lb spaghetti or linguine 
• 2 lb mussels
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large shallot or onion
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 red chili pepper, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup white wine or beer (I used beer because I only had red wine)
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup chopped parsleY

cooking steps 

1. Rinse mussels under water, remove any beards by pulling or scissors.

2. Store mussels over ice (in ziploc bag) in the fridge covered by wet towel.

3. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook pasta per box instructions. 

4. Meanwhile, heat large sauté pan over medium flame.  Add olive oil and shallot.  Sauté shallot for 5 minutes until soft and slightly brown.  Add garlic & crushed chili pepper, sauté until fragrant.  Add tomato paste, sauté until dark.

5. Add wine.  Bring to boil and simmer until slightly reduced.

6. Add mussels and vegetable broth to the pot.  Steam covered for 5 - 8 minutes until mussels have opened.  Discard any unopened mussels.  

7. Add cooked pasta to the pan with mussels.  Add butter to thicken the sauce.  Toss pasta and sprinkle in parsley.  Turn off the heat and serve in a large bowl.